Radio gardeners go potty with advice on Class C 'cabbage'

When a member of the public contacted a BBC gardening programme to ask for advice on a plant variety called "Northern Lights", the expert panel was happy to oblige.

The stars of the Beechgrove Potting Shed spent three minutes explaining which compost to use, and how to make the best use of a propagator.

The helpful response was typical of the homely and chatty BBC Radio Scotland show, which urges callers to "come in from the garden, take off your wellies and relax for an hour".

Keen listeners, however, may have been surprised by the advice. For while the gardeners thought they were talking about cabbages, the caller had asked how best to grow a variety of cannabis.

The drug was downgraded last week from Class B to Class C, and police in England and Wales say they will rarely arrest those in possession of a small amount of the drug. No such relaxation is planned north of the border.

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Jim McColl, 68, and his co-presenter Frieda Morrison apologised for the mix-up yesterday, and said they misheard the caller.

Miss Morrison said: "We thought the caller had said cabbages and if you look it up on the internet there is a variety called the Northern Lights. So this is where the confusion started and all the way through the interview we were talking about cabbages.

"Why anyone would want to grow cabbages in a propagator and take cuttings we were not sure. It is a very busy programme and we made an honest mistake."

The caller, Joe from Perth, told the panel: "I've learned so much from you all over the years. I really appreciate it. I recently bought a propagator and I seem to be having no luck at all. Can you give me any advice on what I'm doing wrong."

When asked what he was trying to grow, he replied: "It's a hybrid of cannabis called Northern Lights. It's a very hardy variety." He did not mention that it was also particularly popular in the coffee shops of Amsterdam.

A spokesman for the BBC said none of the presenters had picked up exactly what the caller was talking about. The BBC has removed an archive version of the show from its website.